This invention relates generally to commercial laundry machines and, more particularly, to a device for feeding small pieces of laundry such as napkins and pillowcases into a commercial laundry machine.
Commercial laundry facilities servicing hotels, restaurants, hospitals and the like are required to wash, dry and fold large volumes of articles such as bed linen, towels, tablecloths and napkins. After such articles are washed and dried by industrial-grade equipment, they are pressed by a flatwork ironer and subsequently processed by an automatic folder which folds the laundry into a neat package for easy storage and transportation. Such laundry facilities typically use an automatic spreader/feeder machine to allow more rapid and accurate feeding of the sheets into the ironer and folder machinery, thereby increasing efficiency and the quality of the finished product.
At the rear or exit end of the spreader/feeder machine, a continuously moving belt conveyer feeds the laundered articles directly into the pressing and folding equipment, properly oriented for processing. The operator need only load the garments into the forward or entry end of the spreader/feeder machine.
Depending upon the size and shape of the articles of laundry being loaded by the operator, the spreader/feeder machine assumes one of two configurations. When large articles such as bed sheets, blankets and tablecloths are to be loaded, the operator places an edge of the item directly into a large piece clamp mounted on a pivot arm which releasably grips the item of laundry. The pivot arm is movable between a forwardly extending first position in which the edge of the item of laundry is gripped and a second position closer to the rear of the spreader/feeder machine than the first position. The large item of laundry is then fed into the spreader/feeder machine. A spreader mechanism is provided for spreading apart the top corners of the large article. After processing, the large item of laundry is deposited onto the rear conveyor table where it is transported to a subsequent piece of machinery such as an ironer/folder for processing. This process is repeated until all of the laundered articles have been processed. The details of this structure are not part of the present invention. Consequently, they are not disclosed here.
Alternatively, when the operator is processing small laundry articles such as towels, pillowcases and napkins, the large piece clamp and pivot arm are no longer used. Instead, a second conveyor table, mounted on the entry end of the spreader/feeder machine, is raised, via pneumatic cylinders, into a position between the machine and its operator. When not in use, the forward conveyor table is stored within the spreader/feeder machine. When raised, the small articles of laundry are placed flat directly onto the conveyor of the forward table which moves the articles into the spreader/feeder machine and ultimately to the ironer, folder or other processing equipment. Again, the details of this structure are not part of the present invention and are not disclosed here.
Spreader/feeder machines of this general type are known in the prior art.
After the articles are washed and dried, the typical practice in commercial laundry facilities is to place the articles in large laundry bins and wheel or otherwise transport them to the spreader/feeder machine. An operator stands next to the laundry bin, removes the articles by hand and feeds them into the spreader/feeder machine for subsequent transport to the ironer and folder. When feeding large laundry articles into the spreader/feeder machine, the operator positions the laundry bin in the area between the operator and the spreader/feeder machine. The operator simply picks up the next article of laundry and places its edge into the large piece clamp described above. The operator continues in this manner until the bin is empty. At that point, the empty laundry bin is removed and a full laundry bin is put in its place.
While this process works well, it is inefficient for smaller articles of laundry such as pillowcases and napkins when the forward conveyor table is employed. This is because the forward conveyor table occupies the area between the operator and the spreader/feeder machine. Consequently, the laundry bin must be located behind the operator, causing the operator to constantly turn away from the spreader/feeder machine in order to retrieve another article and load it into the spreader/feeder. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is a greater number of individual items in the bins containing the small articles of laundry relative to a bin containing large articles. Consequently, the operator is required to turn away from the spreader/feeder machine numerous times thereby causing the operator to undergo repeated unnatural twisting and bending movements.
Presented is a feed basket that attaches to the forward conveyor table of a commercial spreader/feeder machine. When the forward conveyor table is raised to its extended and operational position, the feed basket assembly extends outwardly from the forward conveyor table and is positioned between the forward conveyor table and the spreader/feeder machine""s operator. This allows the operator to place small items such as napkins, towels and pillowcases into the small piece feed basket after they have been washed and dried by separate machinery. The operator can remove each article of laundry from the conveniently placed small piece feed basket and place it on the feeder/dryer machine""s forward conveyer table without having to turn around and reach into a separate laundry bin. An extension is added to the forward conveyor table to accommodate a doffer roll that secures the small article to the table and allows the operator to place the small items directly onto the table without having to reach across the small piece feed basket assembly that now occupies the space between the operator and the spreader/feeder machine.
When not in use, the small piece feed basket assembly folds behind and beneath the forward conveyor table so as not to interfere with the operation of the spreader/feeder machine. The small piece feed basket is mounted on two sets of heavy-duty drawer slides that are attached to opposite sides of the forward conveyor table. In an implementation, the small piece feed basket assembly is pneumatically operated so that when the operator depresses a control switch, the feed basket is lowered below the level of the forward conveyor table and withdrawn into the void beneath the forward conveyor table and in front of the spreader/feeder machine. When placed in this position, the small piece feed basket is removed from view and the spreader/feeder machine operates as it did before the implementation of the small piece feed basket. When the small piece feed basket is to be placed into use, a control switch is depressed and the pneumatic cylinders move the feed basket into its operational position.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a small piece feed basket assembly that is capable of being positioned contiguous with the forward conveyor table of a commercial spreader/feeder machine for retaining small laundry articles.
The present invention also provides means for storing the small piece feed basket when it is not in use by the operator so that it does not interfere with the other functions of the spreader/feeder machine.
Further, the present invention also mounts the small piece feed basket to the feed table via pneumatic cylinders which permit the small piece feed basket to move automatically between its operational and stored positions upon switch activation.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.